Late season storm expected

Mon. night: Cloudy with a 40% chance of rain, sleet, and snow toward morning especially in the south half of the area. Low: 32 Wind: N turning E 7-14

Tuesday: Rain/Snow/Sleet, could be heavy at times, turning to all snow at night. Accumulations through late Tue. night from 3 to 5" far south to 5 to 8" central to 8-14" north. High: 35 Wind: E 12-25

A very nasty weather situation is shaping up across Wisconsin through Wednesday. The strong storm which has pounded California and the western U.S. will slide into the middle of the nation. We could see a mix of rain, sleet, and snow develop across the region by Tuesday morning and then spread into northern Wisconsin in the afternoon and evening. Some roads could become quite slippery. It will be blustery and cold as well with east winds gusting to 30 mph Tuesday into early Wednesday. A FLOOD WATCH is in effect Tuesday into Wednesday evening for Adams, Juneau, Jackson, and Monroe Counties. A WINTER STORM WATCH is in effect Tuesday morning through Wednesday evening for Wood, Portage, Waupaca, and Waushara Counties and from Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday evening for the rest of the area.

The heaviest snow accumulation in general is expected Tuesday evening into early Wednesday. At this point our best estimate puts a swath of about 3 to 8 inches of snow across central Wisconsin basically from Medford to Wausau and Shawano on southward. North of that, where there will be less sleet and rain mixed in and it will be somewhat colder, the snow totals could reach the 8 to 14 inch range through much the northern third of the state. This is still an uncertain situation as a change in temperatures by a couple of degrees or a change in the storm track by even 50 miles will have huge implications on what type of precipitation falls at various places. So we'll just have to watch it carefully and adjust. Suffice it to say, travel will be at best messy, and at worst nearly impossible when the snow and wind are at their heaviest Tuesday night. Another few inches of snow are possible Wednesday before it gradually winds down in the afternoon and evening. The winds will gradually decrease a bit as well.

Beyond this storm we'll have an unseasonably cool period settle in right through early next week. Thankfully it looks mainly dry. We will still likely be dealing with areas of flooding as the rain and eventually melting snow from this storm filters into the river systems.

Have a good night! Meteorologist Tony Schumacher 3:30 PM, 21 March 2011